Riven

"Riven" by Jerry B. Jenkins

This book was amazing! Sometimes when I read a book I am left to wonder how in the world the author could come up with something so amazing. This was one of those books, I found it exceptional. Let me quote from the cover, "When a condemned man with nothing to lose meets a weary man of God with nothing to gain, everyone washed by the endless ripples of that encounter will forever recall the day a little bit of heaven invaded a whole lot of hell." That is what this book is about and it will make you think, cry and wonder at the things God can do. I couldn't get through it fast enough and when I was done I put it down and all I could say was, "wow". This book will allow you to see God through the eyes of a condemned man. I have never read a book like it and probably won't ever again. The book shows how God relentlessly pursues us no matter the sin committed. I am left praying that God would use my life like He uses the life of the man in this book.

Heartland

"Heartland" by Davis Bunn

This was a very lighthearted book, an easy read. This book is about a man who finds himself on a TV set as an actor after leaving his home town and getting into a crash where he thought he had died. He doesn't know how he got there but everyone is looking to him to be their hero. There is a bit of a love story mixed in too. I actually loved the simplicity of the writing. "You don't want to believe God can use you. But God has decided to use you. Don't let your weakness be an excuse to turn away." Sometimes we think we can't be used by God because of our failures and weaknesses, but He can and He does.

The Poisonwood Bible

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh and also made me angry. I enjoy a book that can invoke different emotions in me. This book is about a preacher who moves his family to the Congo for a mission trip. The story is told through the words of his daughters and his wife. One of the daughters is a teenager and totally self-centered. Her writing is just hilarious. This was a well written book and though long it kept me hooked throughout all 550 pages. A quote I liked, "Misunderstanding is my cornerstone. It's everyone's, come to think of it. Illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement under our feet. They are what we call civilization." I would say this book is worth a read. It gets you to thinking what missionaries give up to serve Christ and also how we go into other cultures with many misconceptions, trying to push our ways on them.

Breaker's Reef

"Breaker's Reef" by Terri Blackstock

This is book #4 in the Cape Refuge Series, the last book. And again, it was a thrilling as the first. In this book a famous mystery writer moves to Cape Refuge. A teenage girl is found murdered and a scene in the novel matches the crime scene, exactly. Then a second murder happens and the police chief is a suspect. In this book the couple that have been forming a relationship since book one finally tie the knot. I am usually pretty good at predicting plots and I thought I had this one tagged but literally in the very last ten pages of the book I was thrown for a loop that I never saw coming, it was great! I love it when the books ending is unpredictable. I would strongly recommend all four of the books in this series and any other book by this author.

River's Edge

"River's Edge" by Terri Blackstock

This is book #3 in the Cape Refuge Series. I really like the author and how she uses God's grace in her books. I was just as captivated in this book as her first two. A mayoral candidate's wife goes missing and he is the prime suspect. The police chief's thinks foul play is involved. There is love, strife, murder, mystery, alleged affair and struggles with infertility. All of this is woven together in one page turning book. There is a part in the book that talks about putting on the armor of God. A mom would "put on" the armor of God on her girls before they went to school. I think this is a great way to teach children about the armor. Here also is an explanation, "the helmet of salvation, you got that the minute you gave your life to Christ. You don't have to pretend to put some imaginary steel cap on your head. It's already there. The belt of truth is in God's Word. You get it from studying it, learning it, knowing what is says. The breastplate of protection because you exchanged your sins for Christ's righteousness, and your shoes of the gospel of peace you get buy studying God's Word and making it a part of you. Spreading the Word, telling others about the peace you've found. You have something they need. You strengthen the shield of faith by studying God's Word as if it were your very lifeline. Because it is. As you get to know the Word of God, front to back, layer upon layer, hunger for it, breathe it and the sword will get sharper and more effective." I loved that explanation and how practical it is.

Bearing The Body

"Bearing The Body" by Ehud Havazelet

Let me start by saying please don't read this book. I really can't even tell you what this book is about. I can't even come up with a plot or any reason at all why the author wrote this book. It would be a complete waste of your time to pick it up, this is your warning. I wanted to put it down so many times and don't know why I kept at it. I finished it and was just as confused as when I had started it. An adult son is killed and his estranged brother and father come to find out why he died. It is a very dysfunctional book with very dysfunctional characters who as far as I can tell come no closer to resolving anything or being better people by the end of the book. So, again, don't even attempt this one.

Treasure Box

"Treasure Box" by Penelope J. Stokes

This was a good little easy read novel. It is about a women who has built walls around her life due to past hurt but when she buys a treasure box she discovers all that she has been missing. We shield ourselves from getting hurt but we miss out on all that God has for us. With life comes hurt but there is so much more. More love, more joy, more laughter, more of everything. And the risk is worth it. "In this new reality she had to deal with the painful rasp of heart against heart, mind against mind, soul against soul, as the people she loved sandpapered away her rough edges." I love the word picture of the people we love "sandpapering away our rough edges". I need help being all that God wants me to be and I am thankful that God put such loving people in my life to help me become that special person.